HC Track & Field

Congratulations to Kenzie Crooke and Mark Gates on representing Heritage at the IHSAA Track & Field State Finals earlier this month!

Kenzie placed 15th in Long Jump with a jump of 17'9.25", and Mark placed 15th in Discus with a throw of 161'5".

We are proud of the hard work, dedication, and excellence they showed throughout the season and on the state stage!

Mark Gates is headed to STATE!! Huge congratulations…we are so proud of him!

Kenzie Crooke is STATE BOUND!!! To qualify for the State Finals for Indiana Track and Field is a huge accomplishment that only a few HC athletes have done. This will be her second State appearance (State Medalist in 2024).

First off there are no classes (like 2A,3A, etc). It is All The Best kids in the State for 1 Meet!

You need to be Top 3 out of Sectionals and then again Top 3 out of Regionals. After coming out of Sectionals beating teams like North Central, Lawrence Central, Bishop Chatard and Cathedral - you move on to Regionals and add teams - Warren Central, Lawrence North, Franklin Central, Greenfield Central, Mt.Vernon and others.

Congratulations to Kenzie on an absolutely amazing season and we cheer her on as she continues and represents us at the next level!

2 more school records broken this season…
Kenzie Crooke reset her own 100mh school record again with a time of 15.20, and the 4x800 Relay Team (Olivia Peterson/Claire LaBar/Lanie Riggle/Charly Wolfrum) broke the school record with a time of 9:54.18. Congratulations, Ladies!

Unfortunately, during Sectionals Ben Pallekonda sustained a hamstring strain just before long jump and, after evaluating the injury, he had to withdraw from competing.

This is especially difficult because he was performing at a level where he very likely would have qualified for regionals in multiple events.

During his 4 years Ben Pallekonda established himself as one of the most accomplished athletes in program history.

Ben holds 6 Track and Field school records for Heritage Christian. This season alone he broke 5 of them, 1 which had held since 1986.

60m - 6.99
100m - 10.76 (Ranked Top 30 in the State)
200m - 22.32 (Ranked Top 50 in the State)
300mh - 39.08 (Ranked 16th in the State)
400m - 48.91 (6th Fastest Time in the State)
4x400 Relay

This season Ben was an Indoor State Medalist with a Runner-Up finish in the Long Jump and 5th in the 60m. He earned All City as the Long Jump City Champion as well as All Conference as the 300mh and Long Jump Champion. He was also named City Athlete of the Meet and Athlete of the Year for HC Track and Field.

His leadership, work ethic, and competitive excellence helped lead the team this year and we know he has a bright future ahead. Most importantly he loves Jesus and gives Him All the Glory!

Congratulations to the City Champions…
Willem Hobson - 800m
Mark Gates - Disc
Ben Pallekonda - Long Jump

What a great night to recognize and celebrate our Track and Field athletes on an amazing season! We give God all the Glory!

Rookie of the Year:
Charly Wolfrum & Hunter Drook

Eagle Award: Lydia Pulliam & Will Hooper

Christian Leadership:
Olivia Peterson & Willem Hobson

Power Ring Thrower: Honor Griffin & Mark Gates

Athlete of the Year:
Kenzie Crooke & Ben Pallekonda

Runner-Up Finish for the Boys Indy City Meet! What a great night for track and field. Everyone contributed for our 97 points. So proud of them!

Another Meet = Another New School Record for Ben Pallekonda. This time he breaks the 100m!

Another New School Record for Kenzie Crooke!